This invention relates to new and useful improvements in nail guides although it will be appreciated that it can be used, under certain circumstances, to guide screws as well.
Conventionally, nails have to be held individually between the thumb and forefinger of the operator whereupon the head is stuck with a hammer to start the nail and then further engaged with the work piece by repeated blows of the hammer or other such force producing implement, until the nail is driven fully into position.
Two difficulties arise with the conventional method of nailing, particularly when relatively thin and long finishing nails are used. Firstly a misplaced blow of the hammer may cause the nail to bend over from the area of penetration with the surface and secondly, it is sometimes difficult to position the nail so that it engages through the work piece and into a further work piece. An example of the second difficulty which may be encountered is when a shelf end is being nailed to an end board at right angles to the end board under which circumstances, it will be appreciated, the nail should penetrate the shelf end approximately along the medial line of the end and this is sometimes extremely difficult to gauge.
Furthermore, many people including the young, the old and the handicapped, often encounter difficulties in accomplishing even minimal nailing tasks as do the unskilled.
Although professional nailing machines exist, these are for mass production purposes and are extremely involved and usually include automatic nailing devices.